Collected Works in Four Volumes. Volume 1

The first volume of Plato's collected works brings together early dialogues and introduces the Socratic method of inquiry. Its contents include Apology, Crito, Protagoras, Gorgias, Meno and Cratylus, alongside other dialogues. Their conversations address courage, piety, friendship, virtue, beauty and the nature of language. Socrates tests familiar definitions and asks what supports a confident answer. A conversation may end with a difficulty still unresolved, making the search for reasons as important as any conclusion. The volume also includes an account of Plato's life and intellectual development and introductory material that places the dialogues within the development of his philosophy.